Spindle carrier



Dec. 10, 1957 Filed Nov. 22, 1954 J.VM. OMALLEY EIAL SPINDLE CARRIER 7 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Joseph .m o malley BY Willi? INVENTORS J. Hill Dec. 10, 1957 J. o'MA'LLEY El'AL 2,815,690

I SPINDLE CARRIER 7 Filed Nov. 22', 1954 :5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS BY William J. Hill 4 .1 H or ey n ed ws P tfi fl 2,815,690 SPINDLE CARRIER Joseph M. OMalley and William J. Hill, Worcester, Mass, assignors to Morgan Construction Company, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 22, 1954, Serial No. 470,407 Claims. (Cl. 80 -1) This invention relates to a spindle carrier and more particularly to a means for supporting and moving the drive spindles of a rolling mill during roll changes and.

the like.

The ordinary rolling mill used in the production of v overhead crane for this purpose is common but undesir-.

able, since such use ties up some very expensive equipment which is usually needed for other purposes. While various forms of jacks and the like have been proposed in the past, they have been for the most part expensive, complicated, and comparatively inconvenient to operate. The problem of supporting the spindles is particularly acute in the situation where a plurality of finishing stands are driven from a single motor. When it is desired to dummy one of the stands, the rolls are removed from that stand but the pinion shafts continue to rotate. If the spindles are connected to the pinion shaft, they will thrash about idly, promoting a dangerous situation. I

It is accordingly one object of the invention to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive spindle supporting apparatus which can be controlled in a very convenient manner.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a rugged and dependable apparatus which will support either or both of the two coupling spindles of a rolling mill.

Another object of the, present invention is the provision of a spindle carrier for a rolling mill having a,

plurality of spindles in which the supporting means for each spindle is independently and selectively adjustable.

A still further object of the instant invention is the provision of a spindle carrierfor a rolling mill having a plurality of spindles in whicheach spindle maybe independently and selectively retracted inan axial direction.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for retracting rolling mill spindlesindividually and for supporting them independently of the pinion shafts and the rolls.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a spindle carrier for use in supporting a spindle entirely freeof its roll and its pinion shaft.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed understood by referring to the following description taken a if, in which:

in'co'nnectio'n with the accompanying drawings forrning the view being taken transversely of the spindles of a rolling mill,

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus of the invention looking from the mill stand toward the pinion housing,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the apparatus, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the apparatus, the view being taken on the line IVIV of Figure 3.

Like reference characters denote similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In Figure 1, which best shows the general features of the invention, a roll housing 10 is shown as providing a support for a pair of horizontal rolls having roll necks Hand 12. A pair of pinion shafts 13 and 14 are arranged in approximate alignment with the rolls, these shafts extending from a pinion housing 15 to provide a '70 Figure l is a side elevationalview of the invention,

driving means for the rolls. The pinion shafts are connected to the roll necks by means of universal coupling spindles 16 and 17 including the usual coupling sleeves 18, one satisfactory construction being disclosed in the patent to Morgan No. 2,136,947. The weight of the coupling spindles is normally carried by the roll necks 11 and 12 and the pinion shafts 13 and 14, but when.

the rolls are removed for replacement or when it is desired to dummy the particular roll stands it becomes necessary to support the spindles by other means. The present invention is concerned with the construction of apparatus for this purpose.

The spindle carrier, designated generally by the refer- ;ence numeral 20, comprises a mounting frame 21 connected to the pinion housing 15, an elevating frame 22 resting on a foundation beam 23, upper track elements 24 and 2:1 lower track elements 26 and 27, upper cradle frame 28, and lower cradle frame 29. The mounting frame 21 is made up of two base portions 30 and 31 which are bolted to the pinion housing on opposite sides of the pinion shaft centerline. Two vertical portions 32 and 33 rise from the outer ends of the base portions and a brace 34 is welded between them to form a unitary structure. A hand-operated hydraulic pump 38 is mount- Each of the track elements is formed' from a bar of v circular cross-section and each of the truck elements 25 and 27 is formed with a flat lying in a vertical plane on the side of the track facing away from the spindle. A

rack 37 is formed in each of these flats.

The elevating frame 22 comprises two vertical guide shafts 40 and 41 fixed to and extending upwardly from the foundation beam 23. Tubular members 42 and 43 are slidably mounted on the shaft 40 and 41, respectively. The shafts are provided with horizontal holes through which extend removable pins 44 to limit downward movement of the tubular members on the shafts. Each of the tubular members is provided with inwardly extending abutments 45, each of which is formed from plate, material and has a horizontal upper edge which is: generously beveled. The tubular members are joined by a brace 46 which holds them in unitary relationship. A) hydraulic jack 47 is mounted on the foundation beam .23andits piston rod 48 extends upwardly a'nd'is con? nected to the brace 46. The jack is operatively connected 3 to the pump 38 in the usual way by means of a flexible conduit 49.

The upper cradle frame 28 comprises two tubular members 50 and 51 which are slidably mounted on the upper track elements 25 and 24, respectively. The lower portions of these tubes are cut away for a considerable part of their lengths to expose the lower surfaces of their respective track elements; these exposed parts of the track elements normally rest on the abutments 45 extending inwardly from the elevating frame 22. The tubular members 50 and 51 are joined by suitable bracing to form a unitary structure. In its intermediate portion, the tubular member 50 is provided with a fixture 52 in which is journaled a vertical shaft 53, as is best shown in Figure 4. The shaft 53 is provided at its upper end with a nut portion 54 adapted to be engaged by a socket wrench or crank, whereby the shaft may be rotated in its journal. On the intermediate portion of the shaft 53 is keyed a pinion gear 55 which extends through the wall of the tubular'portion 50 to engage the rack 37 on the track element 25.

A cradle pad 56 having a circular segmental surface for engagement with a coupling sleeve is provided in conjunction with the upper cradle frame 28. A lever 57 is pivotally mounted on a horizontal shaft 58 extending across the frame 28 and the pad 56 is mounted at one end thereof. Additional structure connects the pad to the shaft 58 to form a rigid construction. The other end of the lever 57 is provided with a horizontal abutment 59 and in this abutment is journaled an actuating member 60 having a head adapted to be engaged by a socket wrench or crank. The lower end of the member 60 is provided with a threaded bore, not shown, which engages a stud 61 fixed to and extending upwardly from the tubular member 50 of the cradle frame 28. A supplementary pad 68 is hingedly attached to the cradle frame at a position considerably removed from the pad 56; the pad 68 is movable from an operative position, as shown, wherein it can carry spindle weight, to an inoperative position.

The lower cradle frame 29 is similar in most respects to the upper cradle frame 28. This frame is provided with tubular members 62 and 63 having portions cut away so that the track elements 26 and 27 are exposed and rest upon abutments 45 of the elevating frame 22. A pinion gear 64 is mounted on the tubular member 62 and engages the rack 37 on the track element 27. A cradle pad 65 is mounted on the cradle frame for movement up and down by means of a lever 66 upon rotation of an actuating member 67. A supplemental pad 69 is pivotally mounted on the frame 29 and, because of the engagement of its lower portion with the frame when it is in the operative position shown in the drawings, it is not capable of being moved clockwise from the position shown; it is, however, capable of movement counterclockwise to an inoperative position.

The operation of the invention will now be clearly understood in view of the above description. If it is desired to change the rolls of the rolling mill, the mill motor will, of course, be shut off. The operator will move the handle 39 back and forth, thus building up pressure in the pump 38. This pressure will be transmitted through the conduit 49 to the hydraulic jack 47. The piston rod of the jack will move upwardly, carrying the elevating frame 22 with it. The abutments 45 move upwardly with the frame and, since they engage the exposed surfaces of the track elements 24, 25, 26 and 27, these elements will pivot upwardly in a vertical plane, the pivoting taking place about the axes defined by the pins 36 by which the elements are connected to the mounting frame 21. The upward movement of the track elements brings about the upward movement of the cradle frames 28 and 29 also. Eventually the cradle pad 56 may contact the coupling sleeve 13 of the upper spindle 16 and the pad 65 may contact the coupling sleeve 18 of the lower spindle 17. Usually, however, the centerlines of the roll necks 11 and 12 have been changed since the last roll change and one of the cradle pads will contact its coupling sleeve first; in that case, it will be necessary to bring the other cradle pad into contact with its coupling sleeve by actuating the adjusting lever. If it is the cradle pad 56 which must be moved, the operator rotates the actuating member 60 by means of a crank and it feeds itself downwardly on the stud 61, carrying the abutment 59 and the end of the lever 57 with it. This raises the other end of the lever 57 on which is fastened the cradle 56. When the pad 56 has been raised sufiiciently, either by means of the jack 47 or by means of the adjusting lever 57, the weight of the spindle and coupling sleeve will be lifted from roll neck 11 and they can be moved axially away from the roll neck. This axial movement is accomplished by placing the crank on the nut portion 54 of the vertical shaft 53 and rotating the shaft and the gear 55. The tubular member 50 is, thus, moved along the track element 25 and this carries the tubular member 51 along its track element 24 also. The entire cradle frame 28 is moved along the upper track elements to the position shown in Figure 1, wherein the coupling sleeve 18 is entirely removed from the roll neck 11 and the spindle 16 and coupling sleeve 18 are supported. This situation is that shown for spindle 16 in Figure l. A similar operation will place the lower spindle 17 in a similar condition and the rolls may be changed.

If the particular stand of the rolling mill is to be omitted from the rolling schedule or dummied, the same series of operations as has been described above will be carried out by the operator. This is particularly useful where the stand in question is one of several driven from a single motor, as in the finishing stands of a rod mill. Then, after the rolls have been removed from the stand or have been separated sufficiently so that they will not interfere with the operation of the rest of the mill, the cradle frames are moved in the opposite direction along the track elements, 1. e., toward the mill stand 10. At this time, the supplemental pads 68 and 69 are moved into operative position, as shown in the drawings. These supplemental pads contact the intermediate portions of the spindles 16 and 17 and when the pinion-end coupling sleeves are removed from the spindles by the movement of the cradle frames, the spindles will be entirely supported by cradle pads 56, 65, 68 and 69. This situation is that shown for spindle 17 in Figure 1. Thus, although the pinion shafts 13 and 14 will be turning, the spindles will not be thrashing about idly with attendant danger to operating personnel.

While certain novel features of the invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims it'will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising an elevating frame adapted for vertical movement, cradle frames mounted for movement with the elevating frame, there being a cradle frame for each spindle, means for individually adjusting each cradle frame vertically relative to the elevating frame, and substantially horizontal track elements for moving each cradle frame horizontally relative to the elevating frame.

2. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinionhousing, pinion shafts extending frorpthe housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the to the rolls and the shafts, comprising an elevating frame adapted for vertical movement, a hydraulic jack for so moving the elevating frame, cradle frames mounted for movement with the elevating frame, there being a cradle frame for each spindle, means for individually adjusting each cradle frame vertically relative to the elevating frame, and separate means for moving each cradle frame horizontally relative to the elevating frame.

3. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising an elevating frame adapted for vertical movement, cradle frames mounted for movement with the elevating frame, there being a cradle frame for each spindle, a lever on which each cradle frame is mounted in individual vertical adjustment relative to the elevating frame, and separate means for moving each cradle frame horizontally relative to the elevating frame.

4. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising an elevating frame adapted for vertical movement cradle frames mounted for movement with the elevating frame, there being a cradle frame for each spindle means for individually adjusting each cradle frame vertically relative to the elevating frame, and a rack and pinion mechanism for moving each cradle frame horizontally relative to the elevating frame.

5. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising an elevating frame between the pinion housing and the rolls and mounted for vertical movement, track elements operatively associated with the elevating frame for movement in vertical planes and extending between the rolls and the shafts, a cradle frame slidably mounted on the track elements, means for moving the elevating frame vertically, means for moving the cradle frame along the track elements, and means for moving the cradle frame vertically relative to the track element.

6. A spindle carrier for use With a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising a mounting frame adapted to be mounted on the pinion housing, an elevating frame spaced from the mounting frame mounted for vertical movement, track elements hingedly connected to the mounting frame for movement in vertical planes and extending between the mounting frame and the elevating frame, a cradle frame slidably mounted on the track elements, means for moving the elevating frame vertically, and means for moving the cradle frame along the track elements.

7. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising a mounting frame adapted to be fastened to the pinion housing, an elevating frame spaced from the mounting frame and mounted for vertical movement, track elements each hingedly connected at one end to the mounting frame for movement in a vertical plane and extending between the mounting frame and the elevating frame, a cradle frame slidably mounted on the track elements, a hydraulic jack for moving the elevating frame vertically, and means for moving the cradle frame along the track elements.

8. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising a mounting frame adapted to be attached to the pinion housing, an elevating frame spaced from the mounting frame and mounted for vertical movement, track elements each hingedly connected at one end to the mounting frame for movement in a vertical plane and extending between the mounting frame and the elevating frame, a cradle frame slidably mounted on the track elements, means for moving the elevating frame vertically, and a rack and pinion mechanism for moving the cradle frame along the track elements.

9. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising a mounting frame adapted to be attached to the pinion housing, an elevating frame spaced from the mounting frame and mounted for vertical movement, a pair of track elements each hingedly connected at one end to the mounting frame for movement in a vertical plane, the pair of track elements underlying a spindle and resting at their other ends on the elevating frame, a cradle frame slidably mounted on the track elements, a hydraulic jack for moving the elevating frame vertically, and a rack and pinion mechanism for moving the cradle frame along the track elements.

10. A spindle carrier for use with a rolling mill having a plurality of rolls, a drive pinion housing, pinion shafts extending from the housing, a plurality of substantially horizontal coupling spindles to connect the rolls to the pinion shafts, and coupling sleeves joining the spindles to the rolls and the shafts, comprising an elevating frame adapted for vertical movement, cradle frames mounted for movement with the elevating frame, there being a cradle frame for each spindle, means for individually adjusting each cradle frame angularly relative to the elevating frame, and separate means for moving each cradle frame horizontally relative to the elevating frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,833,376 Simmons Nov. 24, 1931 2,363,378 Young Nov. 21, 1944 2,618,941 Iverson Nov. 25, 1952 

